The contribution of forestry and timber processing to regional economies is enormous; in several emerging municipalities, they account for more than half of the revenue earned by businesses from exports to the rest of Latvia and the world.

These include the Smiltene, Gulbene, Alūksne, Aizkraukle, Ventspils, and Rēzekne municipalities. In the longer term, these municipalities must diversify their economies to reduce the macroeconomic risks of such specialisation and broaden opportunities for increasing income. They will also need to adapt to the impact of logging restrictions, which are likely to become stricter, as policy will increasingly reflect the values of urban residents who are less directly dependent on the forest industry, as well as external influences.